Peppers are members of the Solanaceae family and the genus Capsicum, which includes species such as C. annuum, C. baccatum, C. cardenasii, C. chacoense, C. chinense, C. ciliatum, C. eximium, C. flexuosum, C. frutescens, C. galapagoense, C. praetermissum, C. pubescens, and C. tovarii. Peppers are cultivated and used around the world as sweet peppers, such as bell peppers (C. annuum); or as pungent chili peppers, jalapeno peppers, Habanero peppers (C. chinense) and TABASCO® peppers (C. frutescens); or as a source of dried powders of various colors, such as paprika. Cultivated peppers can be distinguished by their pungency, fruit shape, color and size (see for example U.S. Pat. No. 6,498,287).
Some consumers regard certain types of peppers, for example, sweet bell peppers, as lacking in aroma, or as having a bland flavor, or as having an undesirable flavor. One approach is to breed for sweet peppers with more desirable aromas. C. chinense comprises some extremely pungent peppers and has traditionally been used as donors for certain disease resistance traits. However, C. chinense has not been explored as a source for desirable pepper flavor. Little is known about aromatic components (e.g., aroma compounds) underlying the C. chinense fruit flavor. No objective analytical method has been reported to assess C. chinense aroma or flavor. It is also unclear whether C. chinense fruit aromas are separable from its high pungency. Numex Suave Orange (C. chinense) has been reported as a mild habanero-type pepper, but not a sweet pepper. See Votava and Bosland, HortScience, 39(3):627-28 (2004). Accordingly, there is a need in pepper breeding to incorporate desirable aromas or flavor (e.g., aromas characteristic of C. chinense) into sweet peppers.